By Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot

     In a world that glorifies entrepreneurship and glamourizes success, the characteristic of “loyalty” is sometimes undervalued and underappreciated. Not so for Bob Rourke, a farm labourer who has worked on swine farms in Huron and Perth counties for over 40 years and at the age of 64, is looking forward to retiring from long days and hard work. On a rare Monday off, I met with Bob where all good farmers meet – at the kitchen table. He had two pages of comments he wanted to add as I asked him about his life, work and experiences working with pigs. A shy man, being interviewed probably isn’t Bob’s favourite way to pass the time. However, he feels honoured that Stephen and Leslie Forman of Venture View Swine near Seaforth contacted The Rural Voice to share their appreciation of Bob’s amazing work ethics. The fact that Bob has spent his entire working career in the swine industry is “truly remarkable from our standpoint,” said Leslie Forman. Particularly in a time when many farms have to hire off-shore workers to perform tasks Bob did quite willingly. “Even though I am an employee, I always treated the barn like it was my own out of respect for my employers,” says Bob. Bob grew up on a farm, a mixed operation, with his younger brother and sister. He attended Centralia College for a year, graduated in 1976 and started work at Van Oenen Farms near Dungannon, a large farm at the time with 250-sows farrow to finish. He worked there for two years before moving to a Steckle farm then settled in at Selves Farms Ltd which grew from 440 to 2,200 sows farrow to finish before it went bankrupt. He experienced some disappointment at this job when a younger employee became barn manager over him. However, he credits the family for teaching him how to master swine artificial insemination (AI) and learn how to manage a sow barn. His current employers hired Bob next. Venture View is a 700-sow farrow-to-finish operation. Bob primarily does AI work, a job he finds rewarding, though it can be tricky if you accidentally insert the rod tip into the bladder. Something that doesn’t happen often! At some point during his career, Bob had dreams of owning his own farm. He had hopes to take over the family farm but Bob’s dad struggled through the high interest rates in the 1980s and decided to sell the farm. Later, Bob and his wife Michelle debated whether to start their own pig farm. “She talked me out of it,” he says with a laugh. The certainty of a regular pay cheque was appealing compared to the risks of a fluctuating industry. Bob says he has always enjoyed pigs. “They have a lot of personality,” he says. He admits sows can be aggressive but he’s never had broken bones or stitches from working in pig barns. “One time I was standing between a sow and where she wanted to go. She just picked me up with her head and shoved me over. I came right off my feet but I did land on two feet,” he remembers. Another memory was having to clean up after a barn fire destroyed a sow barn while he was at Selves. “We lost 300 sows,” he says. However, the new barn that replaced it was easier to work in. In the span between 1976 and 2019, Bob has seen a lot of changes in the hog industry. Use of boars gave way to AI; feeding by wheelbarrow changed to drop feeders and then automatic feeding; numbers went up drastically from just over 100 sows to just under 1,000; litter size has increased to over 14 piglets born live and straw pens have given way to slatted floors. Disease issues may be worse than before but average daily gain and feed conversion percentages have made dramatic gains. Bob will be working over the summer, finishing his career as a swine herdsperson in September. Despite working full-time his entire adult life, Bob isn’t worried about what he’ll do with his free time. He is keen to expand his beekeeping hobby. He has been keeping four to six hives for many years now, and has his own extractor. He looks forward to selling honey and making a bit of money here and there working as a handyman or mowing lawns. Plus, he hopes to travel a bit more with his wife, though he’ll have to wait a bit as she still works full-time at Better Ways for Seniors in St. Marys. When he looks back at his career, Bob says he feels very thankful that he always had good employers. Also, he has so much appreciation for his children and their patience on days like Christmas, when they would wait to open gifts until he came home from the farm. He remembers taking his little ones to the barn with him and one son has also made a career as a herd manager, working for Bodmin Swine Genetics. “Farming has been good for the whole family,” says Bob. “Our three kids grew up working in the barn. They all have wonderful work ethics and are appreciative of the hard work involved in farming.” Clearly, Bob is a thankful man and it was a pleasure to write a story honouring his loyalty and gentle spirit. ◊